Harvest ABC s Lifestyle Handbook

Transcription

1 Harvest ABC s Lifestyle Handbook Loving God during Alone Time, with Believers in Small Groups, and in Corporate Worship Ephesians 4:4-6 Preparing for Sunday, January 13, 2019

2 Harvest s Believers Lifestyle Essentials The ABC lifestyle encourages us to grow in loving God more fully in a unified way. The hope is that we all will get back to the basics as a church and growing in unity as we study God s word together by studying the same verses. LOVING GOD DURING ALONE TIME is to retreat to a quiet place, in an attitude of surrender and trust, for an unhurried time of communion with God through His Word, prayer and other spiritual disciplines. Biblical Basis: Josh 1:8, 1 Tim 4:7, Ps 91:1, Matt 6:5-6. LOVING GOD WITH BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN SMALL GROUPS is to gather together, in an environment of love and trust, with a small group of believers who are growing in intimacy with God through the ABC s, in order to spur one another on to love God more fully through sharing, accountability, and prayer. Biblical Basis: Prov 27:17, Heb 10:24, 1 Thes 5:11. LOVING GOD IN CORPRATE WORSHIP is to gather together as a church family on a weekly basis to worship God and delight in His presence; in song we express our love for Him and through the preaching of the Word we hear His voice. Biblical Basis: Ps 22:22, Heb 10:25, Rom 12:4-5. The Practice of Loving God during Alone Time There are four key components in the practice of Loving God during Alone Time that we encourage each person to do on a daily basis: PRAY. Settle into God s presence by expressing to Him where you are right now. Ask Him to draw near to you as you draw near to Him. The following is a suggestion: Father, my desire is to draw near to You and commune with You during this time. Create in my heart and mind a quietness and rest as I place my burdens and concerns, and confess my sins Protect this time from interruption and distractions. Allow this to be more that a discipline, but an encourage with You where I delight in Your presences as You delight in me. Give me ears to hear Your voice as I read Your Word. Teach me, rebuke me, correct or train me so that I will be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16) Holy Spirit fill me with Yourself, refresh my soul and nourish my spirit. My heart s desire is to enjoy loving intimacy with You now and throughout my day. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. READ THE SCRIPTURE PASSAGE MEDITATIVELY. Sink into the sermon-based scripture for a number of days, until you have plumbed the depths of it. Use the cross references. Once you have plumbed its depths, move on to another bible passage (i.e. the complementary passage, or one of your own choosing) and sink into that for the remainder of the week. Study the passage of scripture to gain an understanding of the context of the passage and the key point(s) of the truth taught in the passage. Listen to God s personal word to you through His written Word; attend to and linger over a word/phrase/verse that catches your attention. Ask God to show you how this word/phrase/verse connects with your life right now. Record what God is saying to you. RESPOND TO GOD IN PRAYER. Allow your God-led ponderings be a catalyst to prayer, talking to Him about what He has revealed to you. Take time to intercede for your own accountability partners or small group members. CONTINUE TO MEDITATE ON THIS WORD/PHRASE THROUGHOUT THE DAY. Allow God to further form, shape and apply these words in your life as you go into your day. James 1:23-24 WORK ON THE MEMORY VERSE. It is important to equip yourself with God s word. Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. If you want to be successful in life Joshua 1:8 makes it clear that success in life come through memorizing and meditating on God s Word.

3 Ephesians 4:4-6 ESV 4 There is u one body and v one Spirit just as you were called to the one w hope that belongs to your call 5 x one Lord, y one faith, z one baptism, 6 a one God and Father of all, b who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:4-6 NLT 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all. Cross-references u. Eph 2:16 v. Eph 2:18 w. Eph 1:18 x. Zech 14:9, 1 Cor 1:13, 8:6 y. [ver. 13, Jude 3] z. Gal 3:27, 28 a. 1 Cor 12:5, 6 b. Rom 9:5

4 Alone Time: Journaling As God speaks to you through His Word write down what is impacting you, what He is saying to you personally and/or your response back to Him. Scripture Memorization: Ephesians 4:15 ESV 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, Prayer Focus: Pray for the health and safety of the pastoral staff and their families.

5 Alone Time: Optional Complementary Passage 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 ESV 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

6 Alone Time: Journal What God Is showing me through this passage? How is God s Word convicting me? How is God s Spirit leading me to respond? What did I learn today? How am I different as I go about my day?

7 Corporate Worship: Sermon Notes How will what I heard impact my life this week?

8 Believers in Small Groups: Responsive Accountability Pre-work before Small Group Personal Reflection (5 minutes) Prayerfully consider your practice of Alone Time over the previous week, as well as how God spoke to you as you lived the ABC lifestyle. Is God inviting you to Focus on your practice of Alone Time Take a step of obedience? Repent from a sin? Trust and rest in a truth? Or do something else? This coming week God is inviting me to / My response to God s invitation is to How I did with last week s accountability item During Small Group Group Accountability & Prayer (30-45 minutes) Group Member s Accountability Items (&Other Items) to Pray For:

9 Harvest Homes Supplemental: For the week of December 30 Dear Parents, The fifth chapter of Daniel ends with the death of King Belshazzar when the Persians took over Babylon and Darius was put on the throne. Babylon was on the decline no longer the powerful, prosperous empire it once was. By this time Daniel was an old man, probably in his early 80s. He served the new king as one of the three leading supervisors in the kingdom. Daniel was very good at his job. So good, in fact, that King Darius planned to put him in charge of the entire kingdom. The other supervisors and governors were jealous of Daniel. They watched for him to do something wrong, so they could complain to the king. Read Daniel 6:4. Daniel was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him. Through the malevolent persuasion of the king s leaders, King Darius passed a law that no one could pray to anyone but him, the king, for 30 days. Daniel continued to pray boldly to God. Even the king s threat of death did not stop Daniel from praying. The jealous officials turned him in, and Daniel was thrown into the lions den. Daniel was in the lions den all night long. When morning came, the king rushed to find out what happened to Daniel and discovered that Daniel was alive and unharmed! God s protection of Daniel served to show all the people that the God of Daniel is the living God, and He endures forever; His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His dominion has no end (Dan. 6:26). God showed His power to rescue Daniel from the lions, but Daniel was just a small part of a much bigger story. God ultimately rescued us from a much bigger problem sin and death through His Son, Jesus. Help your kids understand that God also calls us to trust and obey Him no matter what. God sent His Son, Jesus, to rescue us from something much more dangerous than lions. Jesus rescues us from sin and death. Pray that through your faith, and that of your kids, may the name of God be praised forever and ever (Dan. 2:20). Check this session s Activity Page and Big Picture Card as well as the Gospel Project for Kids Family App for ways to interact with the Bible content this week. FAMILY STARTING POINTS Babies and Toddlers God helps us obey Him. Daniel would not pray to anyone but God. God kept Daniel safe from the lions. Jesus was hurt to keep us safe. Preschool How can we obey God? We trust God to help us obey Him. God rescued Daniel. Kids How can we obey God? We trust God to give us strength to obey Him. Daniel was faithful to God, and God rescued him. UNIT KEY PASSAGE Daniel 2:20-21 (Preschool: Daniel 2:20) NEXT WEEK God Brought His People Home (Ezra 1:1 2:2; 2:64 3:13)